Sink structure



y 1962 v 5. A. LYON 3,034,149

SINK STRUCTURE Filed Sept. 28, 1959 Fl'q George fl/ er/Zyan ATTORNEY INVENTOR United States Patent 3,034,149 SINK STRUQTURE George Albert Lyon, Detroit, Mich, assignor to Lyon Incorporated, Detroit, Mich a corporation of Delaware Filed Sept. 28, 1959, Ser. No. 842,904 4 Claims. (Cl. 4187) The present invention relates to improvements in sink structures, and more particularly concerns sinks of the rigid rim flange type and improved means for attaching the same to a counter top.

In heavy pressed steel enameled sinks of the lavatory, bar sink, kitchen sink and the like, type it is desirable to have a reinforcing edge structure on the lateral rim flange to avoid warpage such as may occur during heating to which the sink is subjected in the enameling process. Such reinforcement may take the form of a rib. In any event, a problem is encountered in attaching the sink to a counter top through the rim flange.

An important object of the present invention is to pro vide an improved rigid rim flange sink structure wherein the rim flange is provided with combined reinforcement and counter top engaging means.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved sink structure wherein a rigid rim flange sink has a counter top engaging terminal structure and novel joint covering and sealing means.

A further object of the invention is to provide improved means for securing a sink and counter top together in assembly.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an improved sink structure including a sink member having a bowl provided at its upper end with a rigid flange extending laterally outwardly and affording integrally in one piece therewith with a turned up portion extending upwardly and inwardly in overlying relation to a portion of the rim flange and then projecting outwardly toward and lying on a counter top and adapted either to have the edge of the counter top overlying portion set into a groove in the counter top to be flush with the upper surface of the counter top or to be provided with a bridging, sealing molding strip member arched to overlie and extend beyond the outer edge of the counter top overlying portion with a free edge of the strip engaging the counter top.

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of a sink structure embodying features of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged fragmentary-sectional elevational detail view taken substantially on the line 11-11 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary developed outer side elevational or edge view of the molding trim strip ring; and

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view sim ilar to FIGURE 2 but disclosing how the sink may be mounted in respect to the counter top without the use of the molding trim strip ring of FIGURE 2.

A sink 5 of the heavy gauge pressed steel enameled type is shown as installed with a counter top '7 of the wood base and thermosetting plastic upper surface wear lamina type. By counter top is meant generically, any suitable form of drainboard, cabinet top, service counter, and the like, forming a support for the sink or which may even be partially supported by the sink in some installations. A suitable opening 8 in the counter top is receptive of the sink.

In the illustrated embodiment, the sink 5 is of the generally oval bowl type especially suitable for lavatory purposes but which may be of any other preferred bowl form for lavatory, bar sink, kitchen sink, and like purposes. On its upper end, the sink bowl has an outward laterally projecting rigid rim flange 9 of circular perimeter affording a wide portion at the back of the sink for accommodating plumbing.

On its outer terminus, the rigid sink rim flange 9 is provided with reinforcing and counter top-engaging means comprising an upwardly and outwardly turned terminal flange it the upper and outer portion of which is in this instance of arched rib-like form providing an outer margin 11 for seating on the counter top 7 while an inner upwardly and inwardly angled flange portion 12 joins the rim flange 9 and provides therewith an inwardly opening groove 13 defined by an inner downwardly and inwardly facing generally overhanging shoulder 14 on the rim flange portion 12. Through this arrangement, the rim flange 9 is disposed at a substantially lower elevation than the upper surface of the counter top 7 and the rim flange 10 serves as an overflow preventing curb.

Although the counter top engaging margin 11 of the sink rim flange may be set into a groove of a depth equal to the thickness of the margin so as to be flush with the upper surface of the counter top is shown in FIGURE 4, a more convenient and decorative, and possibly more sanitary arrangement comprises a bridging, sealing molding strip member 15 concealingly overlying the terminal flange 10 while the seating margin 11 rests on top of the normal plane of the counter top upper surface as shown. To this end, the molding strip member 15 is of arched form and has an outer downturned edge 17 which is located outwardly beyond the edge of the seating margin 11 and engages sealingly with the upper surface of the counter top 7 From the seating and sealing edge 17, the molding strip 15 arches over the rim flange 10 and extends inwardly and downwardly to an inner diameter and lower elevation wherein an underturned inner marginal reinforcing and finishing flange 18 seats upon the rim flange 9 and has a series of short outwardly and upwardly angled resilient retaining fingers 19 which engage under retaining endwise thrusting biting relation against the overhanging shoulder 14 for thereby retaining the strip 15 in assembly with the sink rim flange. In fact, by virtue of the downwardly and outwardly sloping, cam surface provided by the shoulder 14-, the fingers 19 tend to cam downwardly thereon and thus thrust the underturned seating flange 18 firmly against the rim flange 9. The construction and relationship are such that the outer counter top engaging edge 17 normally extends slightly below the position shown in FIGURE 2, such as wherein the body of the molding strip member 15 would lie on top of the rim flange 10, so that in the assembly with the counter top, as shown, the edge 17 is pressed firmly against the counter top by virtue of the tensioned slightly upward deflection of the body of the molding strip to accommodate such edge engagement of the strip with the counter top.

The strip 15 may be made from stainless steel strip rolled or otherwise formed into shape and for convenience comprises a continuous ring in the form shown so that assembly can readily be effected with the sink by relative axial movement wherein the retaining fingers 19 are cammed over the hump of the rim terminal flange 10 where the portion 12 joins the body of the flange and the fingers 19 are in this process flexed inwardly and then resiliently flex outwardly into the retaining engagement described with the sink rim shoulder 14. If desired, of course, plastic sealing material may be applied between the molding frame member 15 and the sink rim terminal flange 10 and the portion 12 thereof, but has been omitted from the drawing in order to avoid obscuring details of the retaining finger structure. Of course, such sealing material may also be applied between the outer margin of the frame strip member 15 and the counter top if desired.

Installation of the sink 5 with the counter top 7 may I be effected before or after attachment of the molding trim tion with the counter top. This avoids possible damage to the relatively thin material of the molding strip 15 in the course of handling of the sink prior to installation. Furthermore, relative lateral adjustments between the sink rim flange structure and the counter top can more easily be made before the molding strip 15 is pressed into assembly with the sink and counter top, with the attendant firm gripping of the counter top by the seating and sealing edge 17 of the molding strip.

Although the sink 5 may be maintained in assembly with the counter top 7 by means of plumbing attached to the sink, it is usually desirable to employ suitable retaining means between the sink and the counter top, a desirable form of such retaining means comprising retaining clips 20. These clips of which there may be as many as desired disposed circumferentially around the margin of the sink, six being shown by way of illustration in FIG- URE l, have the multiple functions of retaining the sink against upward displacement relative to the counter top 7 or conversely of retaining the counter top 7 against downward displacement relative to the sink where such a possibility may be present, maintaining the sink' and counter top firmly against relative transverse displacement, assuring that the counter top engaging rim flange 10 and the molding strip ring are drawn firmly against the sound damping coupling between the low resonance material of the counter top and the relatively higher resonance material of the sink assembly. Of course, with respect to the latter feature of sound damping there is a substantially out of phase resonance characteristic of the molding ring member 15' and the sink rim flange structure engaged thereby further implemented by the firm contact of the edge 17 of the molding ring member against the counter top.

In an efiicient construction, each of the retaining clips 20 comprises a three arm rigid member including an upwardly directed arm 21 dimensioned to fit freely within the gap between the edge defining the counter top opening 8 and the turned juncture between the rim flange 9 and the terminal flange portion 12. On its upper end portion, the clip arm 21 has a head projection 22 which in service projects inwardly to overlie and engage in more or less wedging retaining relation with an upwardly and outwardly facing shoulder 23 afforded by the flange portion 12 of the sink. Although the projection portion of the head of the arm 21 may be Wider than the access gap between the counter top edge and the sink rim flange structure, the thickness of the arm 21 and the head transversely to the projection is less than the gap width so as to enable ready'insertion of the clip arm 21 through the gap and then turning of the clip to place the projection 22 in engagement with the shoulder 23.

Projecting from the lower end of the arm 21 and in the same direction as the head shoulder projection 22 is an arm 24 which in service underlies the rim flange 9 in spaced relation and carries movable clamping means conveniently in the form of a screw 25 threaded therethrough to project upwardly and having its tip engageable in upwardly thrusting relation against the underside of the rim flange 9. 'Below the arm 24 the screw 25 has a tool engageable head 27 by which the screw is adapted conveniently to be manipulated. Asthe screw 25 is driven from a hacked ofi clearance relation into thrusting engagement against the underside of the rim flange 9, it

draws the clip arm- 21 downwardly to thrust the shoulder projection 22 against the rim flange shoulder 23.

Since the sink flange shoulder 23 is disposed on a the counter toprand the rim flange is such as to preclude wedging coa'ction of the outwardly facing portion of the head of the arm 21 against the edge of the counter top, a relationship which would afford a desirable wedging interlocking relationship of the clip head responsive to the downward pull imposed by the screw 25. Where such a wedging action is not possible, there is a tendency of the clip to rock outwardly away from the point of contact of the screw 25 with the underside of the rim flange 9 as upward thrust of the screw fcauses downward thrust and fulcruming of the shoulder projection 22 of the clip against the sink rim shoulder 23. This action cants the counter top engaging arm 28 of the clip upwardly toward the counter top. By providing the terminal of the arm 28 with an upwardly directed spur point 29 which can dig into the relatively softer material of the counter top an anchorage is effected holding the clip against outward movement away from the sink and providing a fulcrum which enables downward swinging of the clip arm 24" and inward swinging of the upwardly projecting retaining clip arm 21 so that the clip head shoulder projection 22 attains a firm downward and inward thrust against the sink shoulder 23 as the screw 25 is tightened against the underside of the sink rim 9. It will be appreciated that the downward thrust of the clip arm shoulder 22 pulls the sink rim flange terminus structure firmly downwardly against the counter top 7, while the inward thrust of the clip arm 21 tends to drive the sink toward the opposite side of the counter top opening '8, which action is counteracted by the opposite and oppositely thrusting clip 2%! in the installation so that the sink is thereby held by the clips firmly against transverse movement relative to the counter top as well as positively against upward displacement relative to the counter top. The firm engagement of the clip with the sink rim flange structure and with the counter top provides the desirable sound damping coupling of the clips between the sink and the counter top.

, Easy shifting or disassembly of the clips Zil can be effected by the 'simple'expedient of loosening the clamping screws 25.

Reference is made to my copenciin' application Serial No. 827,751, filed July 17, 1959, of which the present applicationis a continuation-in-part,

It will be understood that modifications and variations may be effected without departing from the scope of the novel concepts of the present invention- I claim as my invention:

1. In a structure including a counter top having an opening receptive of a sink, a sink member having an upwardly opening bowl witlr'n said opening and having a rigid flange extending laterally outwardly from the top of said bowl, said flange having integrally in one piece therewith a turned up portion'extending upwardly and inwardly in overlying relation to a portion of the rim things and then projecting outwardly toward and lying on the counter top, and means securing the sink member in place relative to the counter top, said upwardly extending overlying portion of the flange defining with the underlying portion of the rinrfiange an inwardly opening groove and overflow curb on the rim flange spaced outwardly from the upper end of the sink bowl.

2. In a structure including a counter top having an opening receptive of a sink, a sink member having .an upwardly opening bowl within said opening and having a rigid flange extending laterally outwardly from the top of said bowl, said flange having a turned up portion eX- tending upwardly and inwardly in overlying relation to a portion of the rim flange and then projecting outwardly into overlying relation to the'counter top, said upwardly extendingoverlying portion defining with the underlying portion of the rim flange an inwardly opening splash groove and overflow'curb on the rim flange spaced outwardly from the upper end of the sink bowl, said upwardly extending rim flange portion and the outwardly extending portion thereon defining on the outer side of the upwardly and inwardly extending portion an outward- 1y opening groove, and retaining clips having portions thereof engaging in said groove and other portions thereof engaging under the counter top and under said rim flange inwardly from said upwardly extending portion and securing the rim flange and thus the sink againstupward displacement relative to the counter top.

3. A structure as defined in claim 2 wherein the portion of the clip. in each instance that engages the underside of the counter top including an upwardly projecting spur to hold the clip against outward displacement and the portion of the clip engaging the underside of the rim flange being movable and thereby drawing the portion of the clip that engages in said outwardly opening groove downwardly and inwardly against the upwardly and inwardly extending portion of the rim flange.

4. In a sink structure, a sink having an upwardly opening bowl provided with a rim flange projecting laterally outwardly relative to the bowl, said rim flange having a further outwardly extending distal terminal flange portion oflset upwardly from the rim flange by an upwardly and inwardly directed intermediate flange portion providing an inwardly and downwardly facing shoulder overhanging the adjacent part of the rim flange, and a molding trim strip arched to overlie and extend beyond the outer edge of said terminal flange portion and having an outer free edge extending downwardly in outwardly spaced relation to said outer edge for engagement upon a counter top upon which said terminal flange portion is adapted to be mounted, the inner margin of the strip engaging the rim flange and having an underturned portion interlocked with said shoulder.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATESPATENTS 366,413 Mann July 12, 1887 1,948,273 Lyon Feb. 20, 1934 2,068,562 Murphy et al. Jan. 19, 1937 2,280,637 Kraft Apr. 21, 1942 2,421,755 Lyon June 10, 1947 2,502,553 Ball Apr. 4, 1950 2,505,828 Fox May 2, 1950 2,525,161 West Oct. 10, 1950 2,549,415 Bonnell Apr. 17, 1951 2,727,248 Switzer Dec. 20, 1955 2,840,829 Hammer July 1, 1958 2,843,855 Hammer July 22, 1958 2,864,099 'Stra'hs Dec. 16, 1958 2,884,649 Scharmer May 5, 1959 

